Sandy Bridge

Sandy Bridge (SNB) is a 2011 CPUmicroarchitecture designed by Intel, manufactured using the company's 32 nm process; as the tock in Intel's Tick–tock model, it succeeds both Nehalem and Westmere. Sandy Bridge-based processors are marketed as the second generation Core, in addition to various models of the Xeon, Pentium and Celeron lineups. Intel demonstrated an A1 stepping Sandy Bridge processor in 2009 during Intel Developer Forum (IDF), and released first products based on the architecture in January 2011.

Sandy Bridge-based processors use soldered contact between the die and integrated heat spreader (IHS). Its 22 nm successor, Ivy Bridge, uses only thermal interface material (TIM) instead. However, the Sandy Bridge family was produced up until September 27, 2013 for desktop and mobile units, November 24, 2013 for workstation, high-end desktop and server units, and the end of 2015 for embedded devices.